Tuesday's Tip - Pulling Out The Weeds

source: gwilmore (flickr.com)

Affirmations are nice and visualizations are useful as well.  List of goals and action steps also are important with personal change.  Another important part of personal transformation is pulling out the weeds, clearing our limiting thoughts and behaviors.  I think this is more crucial than any of the other steps because it gives us a better understanding of ourselves.  Why do you do what you do?  What beliefs do you have about yourself?  How comfortable are you with compliments or criticism? These questions are helpful so that whatever sub-programming we're operating on doesn't suddenly rear its head and snatch away whatever progress we've made in life whether it's with weight loss, a job promotion or a stable relationship.

This is a gradual process and one that needs repeating.  Most of us are unlikely to change overnight or after having done one weeding exercise.  This process could be repeated on a weekly, monthly or quarterly basis.  It's designed to get us to see whatever beliefs and actions are keeping us from living the life we wish to live, as well as to recognize what progress we have made in life.  If you want you can skip this exercise and go directly to creating your goals and action steps for the New Year.  If, though, you've had difficulty with maintaining change then hopefully this post will help.

What are your limiting thoughts/beliefs?  (Limiting thoughts could range from believing that you're not smart enough to graduate from college to thinking that you can't live without your daily diet soda, etc.)

Where did this thought originate?  From a bad experience?  A TV show?  Something that someone told you when you were 8?


For at least 3 of the thoughts that have the strongest hold on you, list how this thought is helping you and harming you.


What behaviors/habits are keeping you from changing?


How comfortable are you with change?  (Very comfortable, Comfortable enough, Highly uncomfortable)

How comfortable are you with taking risks?  (Very comfortable, Comfortable enough, Highly uncomfortable)


What mistakes/less-than-ideal experiences occurred to you this year?  What did you learn?  How will you do better next time?


What mistakes/less-than-ideal experiences occurred to you this week?  What did you learn?  How will you do better next time?


What are your limiting thoughts/beliefs about 2 of your goals?


As wonderful and beautiful as you are, what's one thought that you will change about yourself/your life this week?


During the week, note any negative comment that you make about yourself...especially the ones that just seem to escape automatically out of you.


Be sure to keep your list of limiting beliefs.  We'll work on it some more next week.  I understand that these questions or inner work business can be tedious for some and perhaps you've read through this post without answering the questions.  I understand:  life is busy.  If you want to make this upcoming year a different one for you, schedule time to return to this post and answer the questions.  Or if one question touches a sore spot then answer that one question.  I'll be answering these questions and doing my inner work as well!

Happy New Year!!!! (almost)

This morning, I concluded my blogtalk radio series on setting goals, "Goal Getters."  Will be using the strategies myself to stay on track as well with accomplishing my goals in 2011.

Can listen to show at link.  Also, can post the strategies that you've used to accomplish your goals.

Thanks to everyone for visiting my blog.  Your feedback and support is appreciated.  

Listen to internet radio with ShannonMcQueen on Blog Talk Radio

Business Ready - Post 8 My First Article

Last night, practically on a whim I posted an article on Yahoo!  "11 Simple Fitness Strategies for Losing Weight" which you can view here.  In the future, I want to post more articles so this was a good and gentle way for me to start.  I figure that posting articles would be helpful with expanding my online presence and establishing myself as an expert.

What are some techniques that you can use to reach a larger online/offline audience?

Losing Weight, Finding Yourself, Pt. 3 of 3

source:  fotosearch.com

*Remember to consult a medical professional before launching a health or fitness program.  The strategies below are what works for me but always follow your best judgment.  : )

For the conclusion of our 3 part series, we're going to look at some fitness strategies that help us to maintain our weight.

1. Do something that you enjoy. Find an exercise that you like and aim to practice it at least 3 times a week.

2. Or do something that you don't enjoy...at least not now. If you're someone who disdains the thought of exercise, then it'll probably be hard for you to find something that you like right away. In the meantime, try something that is manageable for you and that also gives you results. You may learn to like the particular exercise and appreciate its positive effect on your overall health.

3. Add exercise to your day. I remember one former co-worker who would walk to a person's desk instead of relying on e-mail or the phone to contact a person. Find a way such as taking the stairs instead of the elevator or walking during your breaks to increase the amount of exercise that you do.

4. Up the intensity or duration. If you've diligently been going to the gym, yet your weight hasn't changed then make some adjustments. You can change the amount or quality of the foods that you've been eating. And you can also change the intensity or duration of your exercise routine.

5. Exercise twice a day. I use this strategy when my weight has increased and I'm annoyed by it! : ) I do my usual morning routine but I also do something brief in the evening such as an 8-minute routine I got from Gayelord Hauser or I just "dance" for 5 or 10 minutes. (Please note I'm being very generous with what I call "dancing.")  I usually drop this strategy once my weight has stabilized.

6. Learn a new exercise. You can find new ways to strengthen a certain body part or of upgrading an old routine.

7. Compound movements. Work your shoulder muscles while you're doing squats.  Work your pecs while you're doing calf lifts. I'm fond of compound exercise to get twice as much from my workout and to also decrease on my workout time.

8. Use weights. I have 2lb weights which I got from Target a few New Years' ago that I use at home. When I finally visit the gym, I use heavier weights. You can, of course, use more weights to strengthen your body. Unfortunately, some women still seem to shy away from weights because they think they'll bulk up which rarely is the case. With muscles, your physique and metabolism are enhanced. Moreover, if you do feel that you're bulking up, decrease the weight or the repetitions.

9. Stretch. You can spend 5 or 10 minutes stretching your body as a way to prepare for the before and after of a workout. Remember to hold the stretch.

10. Be patient and consistent. With fitness as with the other topics covered in this series, consistency is crucial. Sure you can hit the gym 5 times a week for 80 minutes but expect it to take time to see the results.  You have to be patient and consistent. It could take 3-6 weeks for you to see results.  Additionally, if you stop with your usual routine, whether it's yoga or strength training, you'll lose the calm or muscles that you gained.

11.  The Scale.  Remember muscle weighs more than fat, so you could be doing everything right yet not see a change in your overall weight.  While the scale is useful, don't let it be the sole judge of how fit you are.  Consider how your clothes fit, your overall mood and energy level before you let the scale determine how your state of health.

Gearing Up for the New Year

Am gearing up for the New Year.  Have just re-recorded my earlier show on achieving your goals.  If you've been stuck on the same ol' goal, you can listen to the show for some ideas on accomplishing it.  Or even better create your own unique plan for accomplishing your goals in 2011.  I myself will listen to this show as a reminder to myself!  ; )

Listen to internet radio with ShannonMcQueen on Blog Talk Radio

Tuesday's Tip - Losing Weight, Finding Yourself Pt. 2 of 3



source:  fotosearch.com


I've posted pt 2 of this series here.  Pt 2 focuses on eating.  Hope that it's helpful.  Feel free to post any comments on my website http://www.optimalhabits.com/. 

Will post pt 3 of this series regarding fitness on this blog.

Ironically enough...

Below is part 3 of my 3 part series on The Holidays:  Staying Healthy, Staying Sane.  Today's show focused on dealing with holiday overwhelm.  Ironically enough, it took me more effort than I thought to get this show done.  Nonetheless, the show has been recorded and you can listen to it...or my other shows on the recording below.

Listen to internet radio with ShannonMcQueen on Blog Talk Radio

Business Ready - Post 7 Getting Ready

Yesterday, alas, alas, I managed to finally update my website to optimalhabits.com.  Instead of transferring my domain name.  I have a "pointer" domain, if that's the right word for it.  I now have to work on straightening out my e-mail situation for Optimal Habits since I've updated its name.

This is kinda tricky, techy stuff for me.

Speaking of Optimal Habits, I've added this week's coaching challenge which may require a lot of thought.  You can check it out here.

Tomorrow, I'll air part 3 of The Holidays: Staying Healthy, Staying Sane.  Tomorrow's show will focus on dealing with overwhelm.  A topic near and dear to my heart.  ; )  You can tune into the show or check out other shows by clicking on this link.

All right, enough updates for the time being...

Tuesday's Tips - Losing the Weight, Finding Yourself Pt. 1 of 3

source:  fotosearch.com

This morning, I figured I'd write a 3 part series on losing weight, especially with the New Year's right around the corner.  Ideally, I'd like to see everyone get off to a fighting start with their New Year's resolution whether it's losing weight, finding that ideal job or moving overseas.
This series will be divided along the following topics:
Mental
Eating
Fitness

So let's plunge into the tips for today.  I'd suggest that if you find a tip that appeals to you, write it down, schedule when you'll implement it and schedule when you'll assess your progress. Otherwise, you can just read this and then move onto your next Internet concern.  (Yes, this is another speaking from personal experience moment.)

OK, here goes:
1.  Background:  Figure out how you got to your current weight.  In this case, consider the mental, dietary and physical reasons.  Have you been eating more brownies or pizza than usual?  Has your work schedule made it difficult for you to workout?  Is this a temporary or long-term weight issue? 

2. Beliefs:  See if you have limiting beliefs that are keeping you at your current weight.  Do you think you can lose weight and actually keep it off?  Do you think that it's painful to lose weight?  Do you believe that you look unhealthy at a smaller size or do you feel less attractive?  Do you think that the only way that you can lose weight is by undergoing an extreme diet of egg whites and skinless chicken?  Is your definition of exercise limited to visits to the gym?

3.  Environment:  Check your physical and social environment.  Is your environment set up to keep you at a higher weight?  Is there a lot of clutter which weighs you down?  Do you have a lot of pastries, chips, or other unhealthy foods around you?  Do you make it habit to grocery shop in the aisles which sell junk food?  If they're accessible, do you visit healthy eating spots during your lunch breaks or blithely pass them by?

4.  Environment - The Scale:  Determine your "relation" to the scale.  Do you obsessively weigh yourself?  Does your mood go up/down according to your weight?

5.  Describe:  Write a brief paragraph describing yourself at your ideal weight.  How will you feel?  Which habits have you eliminated/reduced and which ones have you now added to your life?

5. Visualize:  Daily visualize a healthier, more vibrant you.  Can you imagine yourself at a healthier weight?  How does the thought make you feel?  Do you feel scared, skeptical, enthusiastic?

6.  Relaxing:  Figure out a non-food related relaxation technique that you can adopt.  What do you now do to relax?  Do you know how to relax?  What are some non-eating related actions that you can take to relax?

Hopefully, these tips and questions are helpful.  Just to mention, I'm not a medical professional and as always use your best wisdom with my tips and be sure to consult a medical professional before embarking on a health/fitness program.

Business Ready - Post 6 A Tale of Two Web Sites

source:  Emily Carlin

I've finished creating 2 websites:
Optimal Habits
http://optimalhabits.webs.com/

Optimal Readers
http://optimalreaders.webs.com/

Optimal Habits will change to optimalhabits.com as soon as the domain name transfer goes through.  I'd imagined that I could have just transferred the name with a couple of clicks but it seems it takes more than that.  I'm using webs.com which allowed me to create my site for free.  I like that I can download audio and video at no cost.  I do though want to increase the size of some of the pre-set tabs.  Also, from my experience, you have to type text directly onto the page.  For most pages, you can't copy and paste not even internally.  Perhaps I should check their support page about this.

Optimal Readers is an online women's book club which will start in February 2011.  My plan is that we'll read books related to self-growth, personal finances and health.  I also hope to do some teleconferencing as part of our monthly meeting.  Members can interact on the forum, create their own members page and access the site's blog.  You can find out more about the site by clicking here
http://optimalreaders.webs.com/.

Also, have completed the Optimal Habits December newsletter.  In preparation for the New Year, I wrote a brief article on mindset.  You can sign up for the newsletter for free on the right.


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